Williams-BMW unveil new car and driver

31st January 2005, 0 comments

31 January 2005 , VALENCIA - Williams-BMW unveiled their car for the 2005 Formula One season on Monday and presented Nick Heidfeld of Germany as one their drivers. Heidfeld, 27, joins Australian Mark Webber at the Anglo-German outfit, with Williams hoping to get back on track towards a world title they last won from Jacques Villeneuve in 1997. "We want to return to winning tracks," said team boss Frank Williams. While Webber was long known to join Williams in a move from Ferrari, Heidfeld only get the nod

31 January 2005

VALENCIA - Williams-BMW unveiled their car for the 2005 Formula One season on Monday and presented Nick Heidfeld of Germany as one their drivers.

Heidfeld, 27, joins Australian Mark Webber at the Anglo-German outfit, with Williams hoping to get back on track towards a world title they last won from Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

"We want to return to winning tracks," said team boss Frank Williams.

While Webber was long known to join Williams in a move from Ferrari, Heidfeld only get the nod earlier on Monday that he had prevailed in a duel with the team's test driver Antonio Pizzonia.

"I really wanted this cockpit. It is the biggest chance in my career to compete for this team. I could hardly believe it when Frank Williams informed me 20 minutes before the presentation," said Heidfeld.

Heidfeld, who has been in the sport since 2000 at Prost, sauber and Jordan, and Webber replace Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher, who moved to McLaren and Toyota, respectively.

"We weighed the options carefully. Both drivers are equally strong," said Williams about the duel between Heidfeld and Pizzonia.

BMW motorsport chief Mario Theissen said: "It was a very difficult choice. The decision was reached in the final minute."

But Heidfeld was faster than Pizzonia in five of seven test drives, has more experience and seemingly also mor etechnical knowledge to further develop the car.

"Nick did an impressive job. He deserves the second cockpit," said Theissen.

Heidfeld said: "It is my aim to win the world title in the future."

But the expectations will be lower in 2005 as Williams will only be able to regroup slowly from a fourth-place finish in the constructors standings last year, especially given the fact that they have two new drivers.

"We can give the team stability," said Webber.

The entire team hopes that the 910-horsepower FW27 car will be competitive in a season which kicks off on 6 March in Australia.

"The car is a complete new development and has the lightest chassis we have ever built," said technical chief Sam Michaels when the car was unveiled in an airport hangar.